WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2 20 January 2009 
 
(09-0227) 
Committee on Safeguards Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 9, FOOTNOTE 2, 
OF THE AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS 
 
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 12.1(C) OF THE  
AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS 
(EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING MEASURE)  
 
PHILIPPINES 
 
(Float Glass
) 
 
Supplement  
   The following communication, dated 19 January 20 09, is being circulation at the request of 
the Delegation of the Philippines.   
 
_______________ 
 
  Further to G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.4 (and co rrigendum) and G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.1 (and 
corrigendum) dated 8 January 2008, the Philippines notifies that, on 16 December 2008, the safeguard 
duty on Clear Float Glass was reduced from Philippine Pesos 3,772.45 per metric ton for the second year of the extension of the measure, to Ph ilippine Pesos 3,583.83 per metric ton for the 
third year of the extension;  and on Tinted Floa t Glass, from Philippine Pesos 4,765.20 per metric ton 
for the second year of the extension of the measu re, to Philippine Pesos 4,526.94 per metric ton for 
the third year of the extension.  The Philippines also notifies the list of developing countries exempt 
from the measure pursuant to Article 9. 1 of the Agreement on Safeguards.   
 G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2 Page 2 
 
 
  IN THE MATTER OF THE REDUCTION OF THE DEFINITIVE GENERAL SAFEGUARD 
MEASURES AGAINST THE IMPORTATION OF CLEAR FLOAT GLASS –  
 
HS HEADING NO. 7005.2990 OR AHTN  NOS. 7005.2920 AND 7005.2990 AND TINTED 
FLOAT GLASS –  
 
HS HEADING NO. 7005.2190 OR AHTN NOS. 7005.2120 AND 7005.219 0 FROM VARIOUS 
COUNTRIES 
(Safeguard Investigation No. 02-2006) 
 
AGC Flat Glass Philippines, Inc. 
(Formerly Asahi Glass Philippines, Inc.)  
Petitioner 
 
_______________ 
 
 
ORDER  
 
 On 10 December 2007, the Secretary of the Depa rtment of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued 
an Order reducing the definitive general safeguard  measure on importations of float glass for the 
second (2
nd) year of the extension period.  A de finitive general safeguard duty of P 3,772.45/MT was 
imposed for clear float glass and P 4,765.20/MT for tinted float glass.  On 27 February 2008 the 
Bureau of Customs issued Customs Memorandum Circular (CMC) 52-2008.  The DTI Order, likewise, provided that the safeguard duty for the third (3
rd) year of the extension period will be 
subject to an annual review as prescribed under Rule 15.6 of the IRR of RA 8800.   
  On 26 September 2008, DTI notified and re quested the domestic industry, importers, 
exporters and other concerned parties to submit thei r positions to determine the appropriate amount of 
the safeguard measure for the third year of the ex tension period.  Responses were received from AGC 
Flat Glass Philippines, Inc., Comglasco AG, Sa n Francisco Mirror Corporation, Chain Glass 
Enterprises, Inc., Federation of Philippine Industri es, Inc., and Guardian Industries Thailand and the 
Embassies of Thailand, Malaysia, and Viet Nam.     The DTI evaluated the performance of th e local glass industry for the 2007 to 2008 
(January to September) period and the status of their compliance to their commitments in their 
adjustment plan.   
  The DTI also reviewed the movement in prices for both locally produced and imported clear and tinted float glass as well as the import tre nds from January 2008 to September 2008.  During the 
period under consideration, China accounted for the bi ggest share equivalent to 83.05 per cent of total 
imports of clear float glass, followed by Indonesia at 8.63 per cent.  Imports from these two (2) 
countries already accounted for about 92 per cen t of total Philippine imports during the 2008 
(January – September) period.     For tinted float glass, China again registered th e highest share to total Philippine imports at 
52.37 per cent, followed by Indonesia at 32.57 per ce nt.  These countries accounted for 85 per cent of 
total Philippine imports.  Chinese Taipei, which wa s previously exempt from the safeguard duty, 
registered a 14.46 per cent share to total imports during the period of review from only a 1.39 per cent share to total imports in 2007.     G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
 G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2  Page 3 
 
 
   It was observed that the weighted average landed cost of clear float glass from all sources 
without safeguard duty decreased by 1 per cent in 2007 and further declined by 14 per cent in 2008 (January to September).  On the other hand, selli ng price of domestic clear float glass went down by 
11 per cent in 2007 and further reduced by 4 per cent in January-September 2008.   
 
 For tinted float glass, the average landed cost from all sources without safeguard duty declined by 15 per cent in 2007 and by 4 per cent in 2008 (January-September).  Selling price of 
domestic tinted float glass was reduced by 10 per cen t in 2007 and again by 13 per cent in January to 
September 2008.   
 
 IN VIEW THEREOF , and in accordance with Section 19(2) of RA 8800, the following is 
hereby issued:    
1. The amount of the definitive general safeguard measure for float glass for the 
third year of the extension period shall be redu ced by 5 per cent.  Thus, a definitive general 
safeguard duty of P
3,583.83/MT shall be imposed for clear float glass and P 4,526.94/MT for 
tinted float glass, respectively.   
 
2. Pursuant to Section 13 of RA 8800 and Rule 13.1.d of its IRR, "a general safeguard 
measure shall not be applied to a product or iginating from a developing country if its 
share to total Philippine imports of the sa id product is less than three percent (3 per 
cent):  Provided, however, that developing countries with less than three percent (3 per 
cent) share collectively account for not more th an nine percent (9 per cent) of the total 
Philippine imports of the product concerned".   
  Considering that imports of tinted float gl ass from Chinese Taipei have exceeded the three 
percent (3 per cent) threshold during the review  period, imports from Chinese Taipei shall be 
subject to the imposition of the safeguard measure for the 3
rd year of the extension period.   
  However, imports from the countries listed in A nnexes A and B shall continue to be excluded 
from the imposition of the definitive general safe guard measure on float glass products (clear and 
tinted).   
  All importers of float glass (clear and tinted), regardless of port of exportation, are required to 
secure a Certificate of Origin (CO) issued by th e agency/office in the source country of manufacture 
as authenticated by the Philippine  Embassy/Consulate thereat.   
 
 The notification and consultation requirem ents of Article 12 of the WTO Safeguards 
Agreement and Section 17 of RA 8800 and its IRR sh all be complied with.  Imports originating from 
ASEAN Member states shall be governed by the provi sions of Articles 6 and 8 of the Agreement on 
the CEPT Scheme.    
 The application of the extended definitive ge neral safeguard measure shall be monitored and 
reviewed in accordance with Sections 15 and 16 of RA 8800.     Let this Order be published in two (2) newspa pers of general circul ation and let individual 
notices be sent to all interested parties including the country members concerned.   G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2 Page 4 
 
 
   This Order shall take effect upon the issu ance of the relevant Memorandum Order by the 
Bureau of Customs or 15 days after the publication of this Order in two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation, whichever comes earlier.  The Order shall terminate a year after its effectivity, unless 
further extended by another Order.   
 
SO ORDERED.  16 December 2008  
 
PETER B. FAVILA 
Secretary  G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
 G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2  Page 5 
 
 
  ANNEX A  
 
List of Developing Countries Excluded from the Imposition  
of Definitive Safeguard Measure  
on Clear Float Glass 
 
East & Southern 
Africa West Africa North Africa South Asia 
Angola 
Botswana Burundi 
Comoros 
Congo. Dem. Rep. Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia 
Kenya 
Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius 
Mozambique 
Namibia Reunion Rwanda Seychelles Somalia 
South Africa 
Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Uganda 
Zambia 
Zimbabwe Benin 
Burkina Faso Cameroon 
Cape Verde 
Central African Rep. Chad Congo, Rep. Cote d'Ivoire 
Equatorial Guinea 
Gabon Gambia, The Ghana Guinea 
Guinea, Bissau 
Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria 
Sao Tome & Principe 
Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Algeria 
Egypt, Arab Rep. Libya 
Morocco 
Tunisia Afghanistan 
Bhutan British Indian Ocean  
 Territory 
East Timor Maldives Nepal Sri Lanka 
 
Europe & Central  
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Albania 
Armenia 
Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria 
Croatia 
Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia Georgia 
Greenland 
Hungary Kazakhstan Bahrain 
Iran, Islamic Rep. 
Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait 
Lebanon 
Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Syrian Arab Rep. 
United Arab Emirates 
West Bank & Gaza Yemen, Rep. Anguilla  
Antigua & Barbuda 
Argentina Aruba Bahamas Barbados 
Belize 
Bermuda Bolivia Brazil British Virgin Is. 
Cayman Is. 
Chile Colombia American Samoa 
Brunei Darussalam 
Cambodia Christmas Is. Cocos (Keeling) Is. Cook Is. 
Fiji 
French Polynesia Guam Hong Kong, China Johnston Is. 
Kiribati 
Korea, Dem. Rep. Lao PDR G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2 Page 6 
 
 
  Europe & Central  
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Kyrgyz Republic 
Latvia Lithuania 
Macedonia, FYR 
Malta Moldova Poland Romania Russian Federation 
Slovakia 
Slovenia Tajikistan Turkey Turkmenistan 
Ukraine 
Uzbekistan Yugoslavia, Fed. Rep. Costa Rica 
Cuba Dominica 
Dominican Rep. 
Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Is. (Malvinas) French Guiana 
Grenada 
Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana Haiti 
Honduras 
Jamaica Martinique Mexico Montserrat 
Netherlands Antilles 
Nicaragua Norfolk Is. Panama Paraguay Peru 
Puerto Rico 
St. Helena St. Kitts & Navis St. Lucia St. Pierre & Miquelon 
St. Vincent & the  
 Grenadines Suriname Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos Is. 
Uruguay 
US Virgin Is. Venezuela Macau, China 
Marshall Islands Micronesia, Fed. Sts. 
Midway Is. 
Mongolia Myanmar Nauru New Caledonia Niue 
Northern Marianas Is. 
Palau Pitcairn Is. Papua New Guinea Samoa 
Solomon Islands 
Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu 
Wake Is. 
Wallis & Futuna Is. 
  G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
 G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2  Page 7 
 
 
  ANNEX B  
 
List of Developing Countries Excluded from the Imposition  
of Definitive Safeguard Measure  
on Tinted Float Glass 
  
East & Southern 
Africa West Africa North Africa South Asia 
Angola 
Botswana 
Burundi 
Comoros Congo. Dem. Rep. Djibouti Eritrea 
Ethiopia 
Kenya Lesotho Madagascar Malawi 
Mauritius 
Mozambique Namibia Reunion Rwanda Seychelles 
Somalia 
South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania 
Uganda 
Zambia Zimbabwe Benin 
Burkina Faso 
Cameroon 
Cape Verde Central African Rep. Chad Congo, Rep. 
Cote d'Ivoire 
Equatorial Guinea Gabon Gambia, The Ghana 
Guinea 
Guinea, Bissau Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger 
Nigeria 
Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Algeria 
Egypt, Arab Rep. 
Libya 
Morocco Tunisia Afghanistan 
Bangladesh 
Bhutan 
British Indian Ocean   Territory East Timor Maldives 
Nepal 
Pakistan Sri Lanka 
 
Europe & Central  
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Albania 
Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia & Herzegovina 
Bulgaria 
Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia 
Georgia 
Greenland Hungary Bahrain 
Iran, Islamic Rep. Iraq Israel Jordan 
Kuwait 
Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia 
Syrian Arab Rep. 
United Arab Emirates West Bank & Gaza Anguilla  
Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Aruba Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize Bermuda Bolivia Brazil 
British Virgin Is. 
Cayman Is. Chile American Samoa 
Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Christmas Is. Cocos (Keeling) Is. 
Cook Is. 
Fiji French Polynesia Guam Hong Kong, China 
Johnston Is. 
Kiribati Korea, Dem. Rep. G/SG/N/11/PHL/5/Suppl.5 
G/SG/N/14/PHL/2/Suppl.2 Page 8 
 
 
  Europe & Central  
Asia Middle East Americas East Asia & Pacific 
Kazakhstan 
Kyrgyz Republic Latvia 
Lithuania 
Macedonia, FYR Malta Moldova Poland Romania 
Russian Federation 
Slovakia Slovenia Tajikistan Turkey 
Turkmenistan 
Ukraine Uzbekistan Yugoslavia, Fed. Rep. Yemen, Rep. Colombia 
Costa Rica Cuba 
Dominica 
Dominican Rep. Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Is. (Malvinas) 
French Guiana 
Grenada Guadaloupe Guatemala Guyana 
Haiti 
Honduras Jamaica Martinique Mexico 
Montserrat 
Netherlands Antilles Nicaragua Norfolk Is. Panama Paraguay 
Peru 
Puerto Rico St. Helena St. Kitts & Navis St. Lucia 
St. Pierre & Miquelon 
St. Vincent & the   Grenadines Suriname Trinidad & Tobago 
Turks & Caicos Is. 
Uruguay US Virgin Is. Venezuela Lao PDR 
Macau, China Marshall Islands 
Micronesia, Fed. Sts. 
Midway Is. Mongolia Myanmar Nauru New Caledonia 
Niue 
Northern Marianas Is. Palau Pitcairn Is. Papua New Guinea 
Samoa 
Solomon Islands Thailand Tokelau Tonga 
Tuvalu 
Vanuatu Wake Is. Wallis & Futuna Is. 
 
 
 
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